


Smile For Me

by oddeye



Category: SHINee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-04-06 07:32:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4213272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddeye/pseuds/oddeye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the ripe age of twenty-five, Lee Jinki is informed that he needs braces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile For Me

“I’m sorry to tell you this, Mr. Lee, but you’re going to need braces.”

It was like a slap in the face. A slap in Jinki’s twenty-five year old, crooked-teethed face.

“Braces? _Now?_ ”

His dentist leaned back in his chair and lowered his miniature mirror to his nearby work desk, setting it down with a note of finality. “I’m sorry, but… you didn’t visit the dentist enough in your childhood, so it seems. Your bottom teeth are very crowded. The only solution is to get braces,” he mused in that gruff, authoritative voice of his that Jinki had no choice but to listen to. “However, you should only need them for about a year, so that’s good news.”

_Good news?_ thought Jinki in a defeated drawl, _this is the worst news I’ve had all week._

\----

Jinki’s dentist redirected him to an orthodontist who lived a couple towns away. It was about a twenty minute drive from Jinki’s apartment, but his dentist had claimed that any extra time and money was worth it--apparently this guy was one of the best orthodontists in Korea. What an exciting title to have, thought Jinki with a snort once he’d arrived at his destination, ending the GPS route on his phone and pocketing the device.

A bell jingled overhead when he entered. He looked around sheepishly, finding that there were a couple other people present in the waiting room, their ages ranging from twelve to forty. Just great.

“Hi, may I help you?” a bubbly reception asked.

Jinki stepped closer, ducking into the little window to see her better. “Hello,” he smiled awkwardly. “I’m Lee Jinki, I have an appointment for three o’clock.”

The woman nodded in immediate understanding. “Sure, Mr. Lee, please have a seat and Doctor Kim will be right with you, okay?”

Jinki thanked her and shuffled over to one of the available seats, trying to avoid sitting too close to any of the other guests. No one was talking at all. Some adults were reading the worn magazines available while teenagers and children were engaged in their phones or handhelds. Jinki apparently didn’t get the memo that he was supposed to bring entertainment along.

Luckily for him, he was called in almost instantly, the reception hollering out a perky, “Jinki-ssi, you can go in now.”

Jinki scrambled to his feet and sent the receptionist a fleeting, polite smile before he headed toward the door she’d gestured to. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, though not without difficulty; it was stubborn and old and Jinki felt progressively more embarrassed as he fought to fully shut it.

Once he did, and none too gently, Jinki sauntered down a short hall. The walls were all white, as if in a hospital, but not a muted white--they were more like an ‘in your face’ white, and it caused Jinki to become all the more uncomfortable.

He turned a corner and came to find a spacious room with a sink, three leather, reclining dental chairs and a table full of oral… tools. (They looked more like weapons in Jinki’s mind, though).

A man was seated in a swivel chair beside the sink, going through a folder. He looked up and grinned brightly when he saw Jinki. Jinki thought it was kind of like in the cartoons when a character with a nice set of teeth smiled, it winked under the light and shone almost too brightly to look at with the naked eye.

“Mr. Lee!” Doctor Kim rolled closer with one push of his foot against the slick floor. Jinki blinked as he stopped before him, the orthodontist extending a big hand toward him. “Pleased to meet you! Doctor Park informed me that you were coming.”

“Ah, yes,” Jinki nodded, bowing his head and shaking the man’s hand. “It seems that I need braces… even though I’m twenty-five years old.”

“Never too old for braces,” Doctor Kim reasoned with another dazzling grin. How were his teeth so incredibly white and straight?! Were those things even real? “Please have a seat in the center chair for me, okay?”

Jinki tentatively did as he was told, getting as comfortable as he could in the chair in the middle, feeling his skin prickle with nerves. It was maddening enough to be sent to the orthodontist, but the fact that his doctor was undeniably handsome and had possibly the best smile of all time only added to the stress and Jinki’s social anxiety.

Not a moment later was Doctor Kim hovering over him, smiling at him upside-down. It should have looked creepy, but he looked strangely endearing from this angle. “Open, please?”

It took Jinki a moment before he actually processed the question, muttering a thoughtless, “oh,” before he parted his lips wide, revealing his teeth to Doctor Kim. The orthodontist hummed as he moved a tiny, handheld mirror around in his mouth, tapping at his teeth every now and again. After only a couple seconds of looking, he chirped, “Well, this is fantastic! You’ll only need braces for a little over half a year! After I fix the crowding at the bottom, there's not much else to do. That’s not too bad, right?”

Jinki sighed. He supposed it wasn’t bad compared to some of the other patients, but it still bummed him out. “Yeah, I guess it’s not too bad.”

Doctor Kim frowned down at him. “Aw, it’s good news, really. No need to make that face.”

What was Jinki, twelve? He certainly felt like it.

“First of all, I’ll need to put in your spacers. It’ll help your teeth be in position for when the braces come in to play,” Doctor Kim explained as he gestured to his own mouth as an example, pointing to which sections would need them. Jinki didn’t really understand, but he nodded nonetheless.

Doctor Kim went right to work. The occasional nurse passed through behind him and he chatted with them conversationally as if they were on a lunch date and not in an orthodontist's office, the place reeking unattractively of latex courtesy of Doctor Kim’s gloves.

It felt weird to get spacers placed between Jinki’s teeth. At first, his teeth just felt really cramped (well, more than usual, anyway), but as Doctor Kim kept sliding in more and more, Jinki’s mouth began to hurt.

“All right! You’re free to go!” 

Jinki frowned hard, his mouth already sore as his orthodontist moved his chair up for him, the light overhead no longer shining down straight into his eyes. 

“I know they hurt and they’ll take some getting used to,” Doctor Kim explained, scribbling something down as he rolled back toward the counter beside the sink, rifling through various papers. “It’ll only be for a week, though. Think you can survive that long?”

“I suppose so,” Jinki answered, a bit out of it. He was so done with this already.

As he stood up and made to leave, Doctor Kim called out for him. “By the way, Mr. Lee, my name’s Kibum. You can call me that if you like,” he permitted graciously.

Jinki nodded, his mouth feeling full and tight and all-around uncomfortable. “Jinki,” he retorted simply.

\----

A week later, Jinki was in Doctor Kim’s office again in the same center chair, tipping his head back to allow Kibum to remove his bright blue spacers. 

“How did your week go?” Kibum asked informally, as if Jinki was an old friend.

Jinki only grunted in response. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to form sentences with Kibum’s fingers digging around in his mouth.

“I take it it was painful?” Kibum guessed with a light, friendly laugh.

Jinki nodded, closing his eyes with a sigh.

“Well, they’re out now,” the orthodontist promised, a couple of nurses flocking around Kibum to help him ready his tools. It wasn’t long until they actually started the process of installing Jinki’s braces. It took about an hour, and Jinki was highly uncomfortable. The constant buzz of Kibum’s little drill-shaped thing was unnerving at first, but soon Jinki grew to view the noise as _annoying._ It didn’t help that Kibum didn’t bother to talk to the nurses except for the occasional word or two exchanged. There was nothing to listen to or see. Jinki was just so damn _bored_.

Jinki soon came to find, as he was guided up--a little dizzy from bathing in fluorescent lighting for so long--that braces were no better than spacers. The wires and brackets were hard and unalluring against his tongue, and it tasted freshly of metal. He pulled a sour face as he stood up, eyes narrowed in distaste, still getting used to the feeling of two whole rows of braces in his mouth. It felt like too much for his mouth to hold.

“How do they feel?” Kibum smiled apologetically as he squinted at Jinki, as if mirroring his expression, running his own tongue over his top row of teeth instinctively, “they feel weird, huh?”

Jinki shrugged, trying to play off his discomfort. “Feels… crowded.”

“It takes some getting used to,” Kibum admonished gently. “So, to review, try to stay away from foods that can get stuck up in there, stuff like Cheetos and gum, okay?”

Cheetos and gum, Jinki considered, his lips pulling down into an unconscious frown. Those were two of his favorites.

“Yes, sir,” Jinki sighed gloomily.

“Don’t look so blue,” Kibum replied with a raised eyebrow, though he seemed genuinely concerned about how melancholy Jinki was. “It’s really not that bad once you get past the hard part,” he promised.

Jinki slumped his shoulders. “But, I…” he trailed off, gesturing dully to his face, “”I wear glasses, too. I’m the perfect nerd.”

Kibum frowned in confusion before laughing loudly, the sound bouncing off the walls, waking Jinki up a little more. “ _That’s_ what you’re so worried about?”

“Um.” Jinki scratched his cheek dumbly. “Yes?”

Kibum merely laughed again. “Oh. I see.” He braced an elbow on the counter as he stared at Jinki from his chair, cheerfully smiling. “Forgive me for laughing. I just think that’s a rather cute reason for not wanting braces. And don’t worry, I can assure you that you don’t look like a nerd with glasses and braces. You look handsome.”

Jinki stared back at his orthodontist in alarm, his jaw hanging slightly loose. He certainly hadn’t been expecting a compliment from Doctor Kim, of all people. “Thank you?” he blurted, heat rushing to his cheeks.

Kibum simply nodded. “I’ll see you in a week, then. I’ll put in the elastics next time.”

_Elastics,_ thought Jinki dazedly as he left the office, _that doesn’t sound pretty._

\----

“Okay, let’s see,” Taemin prompted, gesturing to the man opposite of him.

Jinki shifted anxiously in the booth, taking a dramatic pause before he smiled hopefully, eyebrows raising, showing off his teeth.

Taemin scrunched his nose. “Oh… wow, you really do look like the perfect nerd.”

“Shut up!” Jinki whined, shielding his mouth defensively. “I shouldn’t have agreed to this. I should have just told my dentist I was fine with crooked teeth for the rest of my life.”

“Yeah, maybe you should have.”

“Why do I talk to you about my problems.”

Taemin shrugged, plucking up a fry. “Beats me.”

\----

“My friends are making fun of me,” Jinki informed as he was reclined in the usual leather chair, feeling like this resembled a therapy session more than an orthodontic check-up. “They say I look like a dork. My best friend Taemin is brutal, too, he keeps cracking jokes and calling me ‘brace face’ and ‘four eyes’.”

Kibum winced as he lowered his mirror to Jinki’s mouth, the latter’s lips automatically parting wide. “That’s rough. They’ll be jealous when you have perfect teeth, though. Just remember that.”

Jinki grunted. Taemin jealous of _him_? Highly unlikely.

“Now for elastics. These little guys,” Kibum introduced, waving around what seemed to be a pair of tweezers. They were pinching a miniature rubber band. “These’ll go from your front teeth to your back molars. It’ll help the initial move.”

Jinki hummed, disinterested. He didn’t have to understand what any of this orthodontist stuff meant, he just had to know that he’d need to brace himself for a whole lot of hurt in the near future. 

After Kibum had finished with the elastics, he raised Jinki’s chair routinely, going over all of the normal procedures. “Just take them out when you eat, okay? It’ll become second nature before you know it.”

Jinki tipped up his glasses, sighing. 

“I’ll see you in a month,” Kibum called as Jinki made for the door, smiling apologetically, “smile, Jinki!”

Jinki spread his lips to show his teeth, but it definitely wasn’t a smile. It was just a half-assed attempt at pleasing the other man. It seemed to work, to Jinki’s surprise, because his doctor laughed sincerely afterward.

Jinki felt vaguely accomplished. When he got out to his car after thanking the receptionist, he swung down the mirror overhead, revealing his teeth. There were little bands of every obnoxious color Jinki could think of attached to the brackets of his teeth, supposedly straightening them out and lining them up. 

He looked… ridiculous.

\----

Jinki’s trips to the orthodontist became just another thing in his typical schedule. Doctor Kim was always talkative and supportive, so much so that Jinki found relief in visiting the orthodontist. It was like sleep, an escape from the daily struggles of life. For those ten to thirty minutes Jinki was going to his check-up, he forgot about work, bills, friends… he only thought about Doctor Kim and his bright, reassuring smile.

“Oh,” Kibum blinked when Jinki came in one afternoon for his check-up. “You’re not wearing glasses.”

Jinki nodded solemnly as he traveled over to the middle seat, plopping down dejectedly and feeling himself being automatically reclined. “I got out of my car yesterday and fell on the concrete. My glasses slipped off and shattered.”

“Oh my god,” Kibum’s wide-eyed, mask-clad and upside-down face looked comically adorable right about now. “That’s terrible! Are you going to have to buy new ones?”

“That or I’ll have to invest in contacts. I’m not sure what to do,” Jinki groaned, opening his mouth wide as if to conclude the conversation. It wasn’t like he should really be venting to Kibum about all of this, but the guy was just such a good outlet. He listened really well and he was always enthusiastic with his reactions and advice. It was refreshing to talk to someone who actually… well, cared.

Kibum went to work, plucking out the little elastics stuck in his braces for good. Jinki was thankful for that; those things were tiny, but they caused a _whole_ lot of pain.

“I’m really sorry to hear that,” Kibum sighed, sounding genuinely concerned about it. “It must be a pain not being able to see. I wear contacts, so I understand.”

Jinki’s eyes fluttered open, briefly meeting Kibum’s. The orthodontist paused before he cleared his throat, continuing with his mandatory check to each of Jinki’s teeth. “Everything looks good. You’re free to go. Come back and see me in a month.”

Jinki stood up and looked around the office. Everything was so blurry. He could make out Kibum’s seated form, slightly spread legs and gelled back dark hair, but it was still a fuzzy image.

“You’re squinting at me,” Kibum noted, chuckling.

Jinki ran his tongue over his teeth, then shrugged. “I’m practically blind.” He padded toward the exit, but Kibum stopped him.

“Hey, let me give you something. You’re making me feel really bad. I don’t like seeing you like this,” his doctor admitted, handing him something he’d snatched from the counter.

Jinki took it, bringing it closer to his face. It was a lollipop, root beer flavored.

He couldn’t suppress his grin. “Oh, so it’s a pity lollipop, huh.”

Kibum waved one of his hands. “Don’t look at it like that.”

Jinki chuckled lowly, unwrapping it and closing his lips around it briefly before drawing it out, wetting his lips and savoring the sweet taste. “Then I’ve been a good patient, is that it?”

Even without clear sight, Jinki could tell Kibum’s eyes were trained on his lips. His orthodontist didn’t say anything, and it was starting to freak Jinki out. Did he have spit dribbling down his chin that he somehow couldn’t feel? Self-consciously, he reached for his mouth, tracing his fingertips along his damp lower lip. “What?” he asked dumbly.

Kibum pointedly cleared his throat, then rolled closer to the sink, lowering his mask and then dragging his gloves off. “Nothing, nothing. See you in a month, okay?” He flashed Jinki a distracted smile before diligently washing his hands.

Jinki left a little confused, the lollipop dangling from his mouth.

\----

“Jinki, Jinki!” Taemin whisper-shouted frantically, clinging to his friend’s shoulder, pointing wildly. “Hottie at eleven o’clock! He’s just your type!”

Jinki always took Taemin grocery shopping with him because without a guide, Taemin was likely to buy the entire store, or at least all of the junk food. He turned and followed Taemin’s line of sight, raising his eyebrows when he saw that it was none other than his orthodontist in the same aisle. Kibum was staring between two different cans of soup with utmost concentration. It must have been a pretty tough decision, thought Jinki with a slightly affectionate snort.

“Hello, Doctor Kim,” he called, raising a hand to wave.

Kibum jumped a bit, seemingly not expecting to be addressed. When his eyes fell on Jinki, he blinked. “Oh, Jinki.” His gaze darted momentarily to Taemin’s before he focused on Jinki again. “Good evening.”

“Evening,” Jinki greeted back, rolling his cart closer and leaning over Kibum’s shoulder despite the man being a bit taller. “This one is better. The home style beats all the others,” Jinki advised as he pointed to the soup cradled in Kibum’s left hand, tapping the can.

Kibum watched him with big eyes. “O-oh, thanks. Uh,” he hesitated, dropping the soup into his cart before putting the remaining one back on the shelf. “You have glasses again.”

“Oh, right,” Jinki smiled sheepishly, adjusting them at their mention. “I told my eye doctor and he replaced them for free! Isn’t that lucky?” He grinned widely, braces peeking out through the seam of his lips.

Kibum’s eyes flickered down to his teeth before he smiled as well, though more shakily, straightening up. “Oh, how nice. I’m very glad to hear that, Jinki.”

“Me too. It’s nice to see,” he sighed happily in relief before he tugged Taemin along, “anyway, we gotta get done before dinnertime, so I’m gonna keep shopping. Have a nice night, Doc.”

“Oh… yeah,” Kibum replied belatedly, waving. “See you at your next appointment.”

The minute they were out of sight, Taemin started shaking Jinki with excitement. “Did you _see_ that?!”

Jinki looked over his shoulder dumbly, eyebrows furrowed. “Huh? See what?”

“Your dentist, that’s what!”

“Orthodontist,” corrected Jinki gently. “And what about him?”

Taemin’s eyes were so big Jinki thought they might pop out any second now. “ _Dude!_ What do you mean ‘what about him’? He was tall, had brown hair, a pretty face and broad shoulders. That’s like _all_ you talk about wanting in a man! That man is literally your perfect type!”

“Doctor Kim?” Jinki made sure, eyebrows scrunched together before he laughed preposterously. “No, there’s no way.”

Taemin folded his arms. “The next time you go to one of your appointment thingies, you look at that man and tell me he’s not from one of your kinky ass fantasies,” he snarled. “That guy’s the definition of your type.”

Jinki couldn’t wrap his head around that. Kibum? Doctor Kim, his orthodontist who saw him in all of his ugly, open-mouthed glory?

Nah.

\----

The moment Jinki stepped into Doctor Kim’s office, he froze in realization, his gaze raking over the man. _Oh, shit,_ he thought hazily, _Taemin was right._

Kibum was standing up for once, adjusting the light attached to one of the seats. He lifted his head to acknowledge Jinki, though, smiling softly. “Oh, hello Jinki. Ready for your check-up?”

Jinki shivered. Fuck. No, this couldn’t be happening. Now Kibum’s _voice_ was suddenly attractive out of nowhere? Why did Taemin have to point out that Kibum had all of these good qualities? He swore he wouldn’t have noticed otherwise! 

“Yep, sure am,” Jinki murmured, feigning nonchalance as he traveled over to the middle chair, sitting down.

Things went smoothly and according to plan. Kibum replaced Jinki’s brackets. They were pink this time, he came to find.

“Pink braces and big, goofy glasses,” Jinki mused when he got up, flipping back his overgrown hair. “I’m one of a kind.”

Kibum laughed warmly, lowering his mask. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Jinki just rolled his eyes. He’d heard that enough. “It’s hard not to when you look like this,” he muttered, pointing to his face.

Kibum didn’t smile this time. His eyebrows were set low on his forehead and his lips were pressed into a thin, neutral line. The expression didn’t suit someone with a personality as dynamic as his.

His doctor rolled closer in his chair, patting Jinki’s forearm lightly. Jinki stilled, looking down at his orthodontist with his undivided attention. “Smile, Jinki.”

Jinki gulped. He reached out with both hands, pressing his thumbs to the little indents on Kibum’s cheeks and pushing his fingers forward, manually getting his doctor’s lips to curve up. “You smile, too.”

When Jinki pulled his hands away, Kibum didn’t smile, but his eyes widened and his face bloomed with color. “Okay. Deal.”

Jinki bit into his lip, then remembered that he probably should comply, forcing a smile. “Okay!”

He took a step back to put a safe amount of distance between him and Kibum. Kibum forced a smile of his own, and it looked unusually dim around the edges. What was he thinking about?

Jinki rushed out of the office. He really hoped he hadn’t just screwed up their entire relationship.

\---

“Minho, he brainwashed me,” Jinki complained, confiding in his taller friend, leaning against his shoulder just to whine. “He made me fall in love with my orthodontist.”

Minho lifted a brow, then looked at Taemin for an explanation, to which the youngest merely rolled his eyes. “He was _already_ in love with the guy. I just helped him come to terms with it.”

“Come to terms with it my ass!” Jinki shouted.

Minho snorted.

Jinki turned to him in a huff. “What? What’s so funny?”

“Just…” Minho trailed off, covering his mouth with the back of his hand to laugh softly against it. “Your braces make you have a bit of a lisp.”

Jinki deflated as Taemin burst into laughter. Why did he think telling Minho would help anything? He was as bad as Taemin.

\----

If Jinki was _really_ going to come to terms with his newfound(?) attraction to his orthodontist, then he was going to have to put his thoughts into action. Just thinking about Kibum wouldn’t do any good. Regardless of it being unprofessional, things weren’t going to progress if he just did _nothing_ every time he saw the guy. He had to make conversation! He had to make Kibum want more!

“I have some exciting news,” Kibum hummed when Jinki’s check-up was over. 

“Oh?” Jinki tipped his head back to look at Kibum, mouth hanging open like a fish.

Kibum laughed and tapped Jinki’s jaw shut. Jinki grinned. Nowadays, it didn’t hurt to smile. His braces had more or less straightened out his teeth and the only thing left to do was touch up certain parts where there was still minor crowding. 

“Next month when you come in for your appointment,” Kibum explained, standing from his chair, taking off his gloves and mask as usual, “you’ll be getting your braces off.”

Jinki’s eyes bulged. “What? So soon?”

“Yep. Your teeth moved exactly where they were supposed to. They were really obedient,” he joked, grinning.

Jinki gaped. Wow. They didn’t call Kibum the best in Korea for nothing.

“Oh, wow.” Jinki brightened. “This is great! I’ll finally have a straight smile! Thank you, Doctor Kim!”

“Jinki, you can call me ‘Kibum’, you know.”

Jinki wouldn’t admit that he sort of liked adding the ‘doctor’ before Kibum’s name. Taemin was right, he _was_ a kinky little shit. “But you’re a doctor,” he reasoned lamely.

Kibm merely laughed. “Suit yourself. So,” he stepped closer, patting the top of Jinki’s head, “I’ll see you next time, okay? You’ve been a good patient these past seven months. Get excited for your next visit.”

Jinki narrowed his eyes, but didn’t lean away from the touch even if it sort of made him feel like a child who was being rewarded. It wasn’t a… _bad_ feeling, per se. In fact, it was… kind of nice.

“I’m already excited, don’t worry,” Jinki assured in the most colorless monotone, just to get on Kibum’s nerves.

Kibum ruffled his hair playfully. “Why, you!”

Jinki laughed, reaching for Kibum’s hands, gently guiding them away from his head. His touch lingered, but he finally let go, simply smiling up at Kibum wordlessly.

Kibum smiled back, his eyes soft. “You really do have a lovely smile, Jinki. I can’t wait to see how it looks without braces.”

Jinki blushed, not even trying to hide it. “You have a lovely smile, too, Doc.”

Kibum beamed, deliberately showing off his pearly whites. Jinki eyed his smile almost longingly before he backed toward the door. “Think you can wait a month to see these babies?” he said suggestively as he pointed to his mouth, even throwing in a wink.

Kibum threw his head back with a laugh. “I’ll be on the edge of my seat until then, but yes, I think I can wait.”

\----

That month felt like an eon, roughly.

Jinki was bouncing his knee as he sat in the waiting room. He’d arrived five minutes early for his appointment, but now he was kind of wishing he’d been here right on time. He was just so damn _eager_ , he didn’t want to wait any longer!

When the reception called his name, he rushed toward the door. “Today’s the big day, isn’t it?” she called, to which Jinki smiled restlessly, nodding at her. He raced to the door that led to Kibum’s workplace and shut it with a practiced ease, skipping his way toward the back. Before he ventured around the corner, he caught a glimpse of himself in a wall mirror, pausing to primp at the little ponytail he was sporting. Okay. He was ready.

“I have arrived!” he declared as he stepped into the back room, hands on his hips.

Kibum looked up at Jinki from where he was sitting in his swivel chair, the orthodontist’s eyes red and slightly puffed up. “Oh, Jinki!” he chirped, sweeping his sleeve over his eyes so swiftly it was almost unnoticeable, glancing at his watch. “My watch must be slow,” he mumbled, toying with it. “I… I wasn’t expecting you yet. I’m sorry. I didn’t think my receptionist would send you back yet.”

Jinki’s hands fell to his sides. “Are you crying?”

“What? No.” Kibum scrubbed defensively at his face. “No, just some dust, sorry. It’s kind of stuffy in here, maybe I should open a window. It’s nice weather outside, today, huh? Perfect day to get your braces off--”

“Kibum.”

Kibum stiffened, looking up at Jinki weakly. “What?”

“What’s wrong?” He tentatively inched closer, crouching down in front of Kibum’s chair so he could be within the man’s immediate line of sight, searching his eyes worriedly. “Forget my braces for a minute. You can tell me what’s bothering you. I always vent to you, after all.”

Kibum stared at Jinki in disbelief before his lower lip quivered, blinking rapidly to fight off tears. His eyes were wet despite it all, the ends of his lashes clumping together. “I… I just got here, I came in late and that’d usually be fine but when I got here I was in a rush and I didn’t pay attention while I was parking and I hit the curb so now my car is dented,” he sucked in a breath before continuing, “and my receptionist is disappointed in me and I know the nurses are too. I-It’s not a stressful job most of the time, but I--” he cut himself off as he hiccuped out a sob, ducking his head, hands clenched into fists against his thighs, “it’s just one of those days, you know?”

Jinki wasn’t sure how to respond. 

What could he say?

He was never good at comforting people in the first place, but now, right here in front of him, his handsome orthodontist, the always-smiling Doctor Kim, was willingly breaking down at the drop of a hat.

“Sometimes I have those days, too,” Jinki began timidly, trying to sort his words out mentally before he spoke. “I’ve been late to my job, too. And to school. One time at college, I was rushing into my class and I tripped and fell on my face. Everyone laughed at me.”

Kibum didn’t say anything, but he was watching Jinki intently, lips pursed slightly, eyes wet. Jinki swallowed for a surge of bravery before he kept talking. “People made fun of me from then on. I didn’t know anyone at college. That day, when I went home, I cried.” He smiled bitterly at the memory, then lifted his gaze, meeting Kibum’s. “And then a week later, I made two friends. We’re all still friends to this day. Things get better.”

That statement seemed to work as a wake-up call within Kibum. The doctor straightened in his seat, wiping his eyes furiously. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Really, that was… highly unprofessional of me…”

Jinki stood up, shaking his head with a gentle, understanding smile. “It’s okay to cry, Doc. Please remember that.”

Kibum heaved a small sigh, chuckling incredulously. “I guess I sometimes forget what with being an orthodontist. This job requires a lot of smiling.”

Jinki shrugged, tipping his head to the side. “Maybe… or maybe you’re just really happy to be doing what you do.”

Kibum contemplated that. “I am.”

“Good. You’d better be happy about it ‘cause I have a whole mouthful of teeth that need de-bracing.”

Kibum laughed and Jinki’s heart fluttered, relieved he could be the one to lift his beautiful doctor’s mood.

\----

“And now… the great reveal!” Kibum announced melodramatically, his hands clutching onto Jinki’s shoulders as they stood in the hall before the wall mirror. 

Jinki was hyper-aware of Kibum’s big, warm hands that were clasped to his shoulders, as well as the body heat radiating off of said man as he stood behind Jinki. He was so close, but Jinki tried to ignore that for the time being. 

“I need a drum roll,” Jinki insisted, squaring his shoulders. Kibum laughed at Jinki’s ridiculousness, but complied, reaching forward to tap his nails against the wall suspensefully.

Jinki spread his lips hesitantly at first, but then he smiled a little more naturally, astounded by how it looked. His teeth were straight, and so white, too, considering Kibum had just finished cleaning them.

“Just as I thought,” Kibum all-but purred, meeting Jinki’s eyes through the mirror, lips curled up into a strangely catlike smirk, “Your smile looks lovely.”

Cheeks flushing, Jinki fidgeted, his mind telling him to walk out while he was still safe whereas his body unwittingly leaned back until his shoulder blades were flush against Kibum’s chest. “All thanks to you,” he murmured shyly.

Kibum’s eyes were still locked on Jinki’s through the mirror. Rather than widening in shock or disgust, they simply narrowed, darkening into something a little more provocative. Even Jinki wasn’t prepared, though, when Kibum’s chin hooked over his shoulder, his body pressed more against Jinki’s back. 

Jinki gasped lightly. Oh, god. He could feel the outline of Kibum’s crotch against the curve of his ass. This wasn’t good. This was _not_ good.

Ignoring his initial instinct to grind back against the other man, he gulped alternatively, shifting subtly but not daring to pull away. 

“You were a good patient,” Kibum murmured, and Jinki took that as dirtily as possible, shuddering as his lust-blown pupils zoned in on the perfect bow of Kibum’s wet lips, the flash of spotless teeth behind them. “Should I give you a lollipop?”

Jinki cleared his throat before turning to face Kibum with forced confidence, straightening his posture. “I think I’d rather suck on something else.”

Kibum raised his eyebrows with a smile that was positively aghast. “My, my. So eager to please.”

“Should I get on my knees right here?” Jinki whispered, sliding his hands up the planes of Kibum’s chest, brushing his nipples through his tucked in, white top. “I wouldn’t stop even if your next patient came in, you know that, right?”

It was Kibum’s turn to shiver violently. The orthodontist shook his head although not without reluctance, a conflict battling in his panicked, but inky, eyes. “I… I can’t. I’d lose my job. Are you free at five?”

Jinki pretended to think about it. “I think I could make some time since it’s you,” he promised, grinning brilliantly before he backed toward the exit, leaving without another word.

_That’s it, Jinki,_ he celebrated mentally, _just leave him wanting more_.

\----

“You waited for me,” Kibum blinked when he left the orthodontist's office as Jinki stepped out of his car, in obvious view in the parking lot.

“Yeah. Wait, did I daydream that whole scene in there?” Jinki asked, almost believing it for a moment.

Kibum chuckled, shaking his head. “No, that was definitely real life.” He paused hesitantly, tongue darting out to wet his lips. “So… what, um. What do you wanna do now?”

“Follow me back to my apartment,” Jinki shrugged, though there was an impish glint in his eye. “Then we’ll take it from there.”

Kibum swallowed, then nodded hectically, power-walking his way to his own car.

\----

Jinki threw his head back, fingers curled tightly around the bars of his headboard. “Doctor,” he gasped, legs falling open wider. “Oh fuck, d-don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

Kibum’s fingers pressed bruising indentations into Jinki’s hips, his thumbs none too gentle with his grip. “Are you-- _hngh_ \--seriously calling me _’doctor’_ in bed right now?”

Jinki stared up at Kibum’s briskly-moving body above him. His hair was disheveled, sweaty and out of place. Beads of perspiration dotted at his forehead and sideburns as he stared down at Jinki through slit, amused eyes.

“Yeah,” Jinki panted, flexing his fingers around the bars, “Now fuck me harder, Doctor Kim.”

“Shit,” Kibum groaned, leaning further over Jinki’s willing body, “it’s weirdly hot when you say it.”

Jinki laughed breathlessly, his toothy smile gleaming under the dim light. “It’s hot all the time.”

\----

Minho and Taemin got to hear all about Jinki’s tales from the bedroom the following afternoon.

“I don’t know what you find attractive in an orthodontist,” droned Minho.

“No, Jinki is right,” Taemin reasoned, “he’s really hot, to be honest.”

“It was great. And Kibum’s about as straight as my teeth before braces."

Despite the terrible joke, both Minho and Taemin laughed.

Jinki cracked an effortless smile.

**Author's Note:**

> written for the [fytopkey challenge](http://fytopkey.tumblr.com/post/122308016964/the-challenge-over-the-next-two-weeks-will-be)! the main theme was doctor!key, but i think doctors are kind of scary, so instead i wrote a much more approachable orthodontist!key. c:


End file.
